This blog provides updated forecasts and comments on current weather or other topics

Sunday, August 9, 2009

What season is this?

I was struck by the latest infrared satellite picture...a winter-like front is heading for us tomorrow morning (see image)...and look a the predicted 24-h rainfall ending 5 AM on Tuesday (image)! Wow..this is serious rainfall, particularly in the north Cascades. We are going to cooler and wetter than normal for a few days...but guess what...we get warm and dry for next weekend!

25 comments:

Agreed Chris, I just received my latest water bill. Should have invested in soaker hoses, I guess. Certainly is more comfortable at work in the kitchen this week, but I can tell my tomatoes are pretty darned confused. Sounds like I should prepare for a tomato explosion next week, though.

While I did not enjoy the heat wave, I don't like this stuff during the summer either. I'm happy to see the longer range forecasts suggesting that warmer and drier weather will return . . . though I'm sure it will be nothing like before.

Yea, unfortunately it could be 90 degrees again by next Tuesday. Mother Nature likes to tease us with the weather we've had the past few days, making us think the weather is finally getting better... but we should all know it doesn't last. It's not even mid-August yet, it'll definitely get worse again before it gets better for awhile.

There is a book by CE Rusk, "Tales of a Western Mountaineer: A Record Of Mountain Experiences On The Pacific Coast" , about his observations in the NW from the previous century. He noted that the middle of August, give or take a week, there is usually a break down in the weather which lasts for several days.

My tomatoes have been queuing up; ripening at a slowly increasing rate over the past week. I have a feeling that next week, picking tomatoes from my twenty-ish plants will be like pulling weeds. Time to start the canning process, which never seems to take place in cool seasons.Should have PLENTY of Summer left. If it boringly tops out at 78 F. for the next month I won't complain too much.

I'll tell you what season it is - summer... don't let the past couple days fool you - the strong ridge and the heat is coming back. Looking at the extended GFS-WRF and the strength of the ridge and offshore flow it depicts next Wednesday is amazing considering the heat event we already just had. We'll see how things evolve, but it's looking increasingly likely that we may at least tie the annual record for 90+ degree temperatures (record is 9 in 1958; we've had 7 this year at the airport).

The 589 decameter 500-hPa ridge and offshore flow is so strong on the 00z GFS from this evening that these are surface temps on the GFS at 5pm Wednesday, August 19 - yes, that's upper 90s in Seattle:

Has anyone noticed that the leaves are falling off the trees? It looks a bit like October around here! My assumption is that the trees are stressed from the lack of water and high heat. Anyone else have any thoughts?